Bedroom Basics
Old House Journal|November/December 2016

Give your sleeping space some love by freeing wedged dresser drawers, creating a new closet  layout, and hanging a pretty printed wallpaper.

Lynn Elliott
Bedroom Basics

Unstick Drawers

If possible, remove the contents of the sticking drawer and slide it out. Check that no item is caught behind the drawer. If the drawer is too stuck to remove, take out the drawer above or below to reach behind the stuck drawer and push. If that fails, carefully slide a putty knife between the bottom of the stuck drawer and the dresser frame to pry it out, taking care not to damage the wood. Drawers may have metal or plastic slides or wooden runners. If your drawer has a slide, check to see if the track is misaligned or bent. Realign the track and, if possible, bend it back into place. If the track is too damaged, un screw it and get a replacement piece from the hardware store. For sticky tracks or wooden runners: Rest the drawer upside down on a towel, then rub soap or paraffin on both slides or on the runner edges so that the drawer will glide easily. The slides and runners alternatively may be coated with silicone spray.

Rearrange a Problem Closet

Sometimes located in the eaves or in cave-like corners, often with limited space, bedroom closets in old houses are a challenge to arrange. Here are a few layout ideas to make old closets more functional.

NARROW CLOSET

If it’s narrow but deep with room along the sides, run two tiers of rods front to back. High ceiling? Install a shelf above the main rod. No room for side rods? Consider shelving or drawers in the center or to one side, and run rods from that unit to the walls. Use hooks or hanging baskets on the inside of the door.

SLOPED CLOSET

This story is from the November/December 2016 edition of Old House Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November/December 2016 edition of Old House Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM OLD HOUSE JOURNALView All
THE Villa RENEWED
Old House Journal

THE Villa RENEWED

This house in Greene County, New York, has been faithfully restored, from its foundation and structure to exterior elements and trim inside.

time-read
2 mins  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023
walls & ceilings
Old House Journal

walls & ceilings

BY THE 1870s, the tripartite treatment was fashionable: walls divided into dado (or wainscot) below the chair rail, fill or field section, and frieze at the top of the wall.

time-read
2 mins  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023
lighting + hardware
Old House Journal

lighting + hardware

ANTIQUE, REPRODUCTION, or contemporary, lighting fixtures and lamps are among the most cost-effective ways to add drama or period style to a room.

time-read
2 mins  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023
CRAFTSMAN PATINA
Old House Journal

CRAFTSMAN PATINA

A smitten owner brings the Arts & Crafts aesthetic to a 1921 bungalow in Seattle.

time-read
2 mins  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023
furniture & decorative accessories
Old House Journal

furniture & decorative accessories

PERIOD ROOMS are the goal of a very small niche of old-house owners.

time-read
1 min  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023
wall & floor tiles
Old House Journal

wall & floor tiles

TODAY WE FIND TILE from small studios . . . carved relief tiles, subway tile and mosaics, glazes matte and iridescent . . . plus encaustics and California revivals.

time-read
2 mins  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023
A TRANSCENDENT BATHROOM IN OJAI
Old House Journal

A TRANSCENDENT BATHROOM IN OJAI

A seamless addition allowed for this timeless primary bath, which has been re-imagined as an upgrade dating to ca. 1930.

time-read
1 min  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023
CRAFTSMAN DETAILS IN A KITCHEN
Old House Journal

CRAFTSMAN DETAILS IN A KITCHEN

An excellent layout and period motifs distinguish this midsize kitchen in a bungalow-era house.

time-read
2 mins  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023
home design - HOUSES HAVE A PAST - AND A FUTURE, TOO
Old House Journal

home design - HOUSES HAVE A PAST - AND A FUTURE, TOO

THE BEST RENOVATIONS TOE THE LINE BETWEEN NECESSARY UPDATES AND ENOUGH SENSITIVITY TO ASSURE DESIGN INTEGRITY.

time-read
2 mins  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023
a farmhouse RESCUE
Old House Journal

a farmhouse RESCUE

Using a cache of salvaged finds, the homeowner, architect, and contractor together rescued a tumbledown farmhouse in Vermont.

time-read
2 mins  |
Renovation Lookbook 2023